Come on down to Miss T’s Kitchen
MISS T’s Kitchen started because she was “passionate” and a little “crazy”, said Anna-Kay Tomlinson, its owner.
Tomlinson opened the business in May 2009 despite the competitive nature of the food industry in the tourist hotspot of Ocho Rios.
“I just love food,” she said. She’s also the chef at the ‘rustic’ spot, claiming she wanted to bring an authentic Jamaican restaurant to the town. “I have a passion for food and people are always telling me to stop cooking and (just) run the business but I can’t.”
Miss T’s Kitchen is the 16th nominee in the Observer’s Mogul in the Making start-up programme.
Response to her venture has been “amazing”, she said. Although some Ocho Rios businesses complain about a slowdown with the opening of the Falmouth cruise ship pier last year, she said her business has actually improved since.
Though the business is doing well, it took some effort to get it going, she said, adding, “it took me 10 years to take the risk (and open a restaurant).”
It was difficult to access funds to startup. Even with an excellent business plan and advertisements telling people to come for easy access loans, she said financiers still “tell you it’s a high-risk business and you need security”.
Marketing the company was also hard because people have many options for food. “I had to be creative and innovative”, to build a reputation, Tomlinson said.
Young people must be positive and remain focused on their goals. It’s difficult starting a business so they need to remain passionate to get through the tough times.
Miss T’s is adding more seats to accommodate its frequent overwhelming crowds. This is part of Tomlinson’s expansion plans for her restaurant, which she hopes will lead to opening another location in Kingston next year.
